What a pleasant surprise. It was not just about lawyer stuff but a nice blend of romance, social issues, same sex marriage, friendship and family. This read combines two strong and intelligent women working to make a difference. Does that work impact your ability to have and maintain a relationship. Maybe yes. Maybe no. Victoria and Genevieve are memorable as they negotiate work life and personal life. Entertaining read with depth.

Eh. Didn't love this. Victoria is a new Supreme Court Justice, a liberal. And, there will soon be a DOMA case in front of them. And, she's sorta in/out (i.e. she thinks she's in, but she's really sorta out). And, if that's not enough, then, she's thrown even a bigger curve. Her ex from law school, Genevieve is the one who's going to be arguing the case. So, that means that they can't talk. Can they get closer anyway? Or do they have too many hurdles to get over.

The one thing that I definitely liked was the legal stuff. Although, I wish that there had been more Supreme Court BTS stuff. But, I also get why there wasn't as much. On the other hand, unfortunately, I also didn't think that there was much chemistry between Genevieve and Victoria. Perhaps because they couldn't talk?

I really wish I'd liked the book more than I did. And, honestly, part of the problem may have been that I was reading it right at the end of this year's Supreme Court session and.... let's just say that this current court wouldn't have made either of the big decisions that Rippon's court did. And, so, that did color part of my reading a little.

So, I didn't love this book, but, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing if Rippon has others that I can read in the future!

This was a very interesting an submersive read.

Court justict Victoria, Tori, gets the case of a lifetime about gay marriage. Not out herself, it hits close to home. Willing to do this case justice without being called biased she treads carefully. But then she finds out the lawyer speaking for this case is her ex Genevieve.

I really enjoyed how thoughtful both MC's were and how much they cared for each other and their jobs. There were some exciting moments with a stalker and dodgy phone calls and a lot of time in a pool.

Great read!

An ARC was sent to me by Netgalley in return of an honest review.

"Barring Complications" by Blythe Rippon is an intriguing story with a compelling mix of legal drama and romance. The plot centers around Justice Victoria Willoughby navigating the complexities of a gay marriage case while dealing with her own sexuality. The characters are well-drawn, and the tension between Victoria and Genevieve is palpable.

While I appreciated the contemporary theme and the exploration of LGBTQ+ issues within the Supreme Court setting, the story didn't quite grab me enough to want to revisit it. It's a solid read with a unique premise, but not one that I'll be reading again.

Barring Complications is easily one of my favourite romance books. I have thought about this book since reading it for the first time over a year ago. So much so that I had to reread it—and I loved it just as much, if not more, than when I first read it.

I simply adored Blythe Rippon’s writing. She is so eloquent and knowledgeable. And the romance! I absolutely loved the romance. Victoria and Genevieve will always have a special place in my literary heart.

Thank you Blythe Rippon, Ylva, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

DNF, could not get into this book as it did not hold my attention. Thank you Netgalley for the copy of this book.

This book has a very contemporary theme. I have a feeling that, we are moving backwards and the acceptance for our community became less. There are lands, even in Europe that starting campaign against the community.

This book is about a passing a law about gay marrige. The main character Victoria is not open, because she feared the consequences for her work life. The lawyer on the other side is her student collegue Genevieve, who is open about her sexuality.

Both of them had history with each other and it is a good story to read and see how this works out.

I picked this book because I desperately want to read a Supreme Court Justice/lawyer sapphic romance. And Barring Complications is perfect!

This is a second chance, slow-burn romance. You will love this if you enjoying slow-burn romance like me. I love both main characters, Tori and Genevive. In almost half of the book, the two MCs do not interact at all. But you could feel the chemistry and tension between them and it's incredible! Can't wait to read the sequel!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this very engaging courtroom drama

Justice Victoria Willoughby is where she always dreamed she would be on the supreme court bench, it had been her dream for years

Genevieve Fornier is also at the top of her game and she is bringing a case to be heard by the supreme court justices about gay marriage

with speculation on willoughby sexuality and genevieve out there campaign the press are dying to know if sparks will fly between these two

entertaining read with insights into the supreme court and how some things play out in the court room

Such a great read! I love political/legal stories that resonate throughout the years. I will definitely be checking out the rest of the series.

I like legal books and this slow burn romance complete with inner working of the Supreme Court works for me. Victoria Willoughby is the newest Justice on the Supreme Court. Tori is not closeted but she isn’t public with her personal life. A case coming before the court is about same-sex marriage. One of the lawyers arguing the case is Genevieve Fornier who is proudly out. Genevieve and Victoria knew each other at Harvard Law School and have a past together.

I enjoyed the behind the scenes happenings at court. And I liked that Tori and Vee long for each other even though their career paths took them successfully in different directions. Side characters are excellent too. I appreciate the legalese is easy to understand. This book was published in 2016 and I’m glad to have gotten and ARC from Ylva Publishing via NetGalley. I am leaving an honest review.

I really enjoyed the slow build up of the rekindled romance along with the behind-the-scenes glimpses at the Supreme Court. A little mystery thrown in, too. I didn't realize it was the sequel to "Benched", but the author introduced the back story seamlessly through flashbacks, so I didn't feel like I was missing anything. I'm definitely looking for other books by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I enjoyed reading this book. I missed it when it was first published and I might have liked it even more then. I say that because I’ve become more critical over the years, more of a grump maybe and that taints my view of the books.

Many thanks to the author, publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Blythe Rippon’s “Barring Complications”.

This was a very welcome return read from when it was initially published. I now understand much more about American politics and Justice systems, and it became a very compelling read. The author skilfully weaves into this backdrop fully developed characters in new Supreme Justice Victoria Willoughby, a closeted lesbian, and Genevieve Fornier, a leading renowned leading counsel and openly out Lesbian, with challenging topics and cases.

The story covers cases relating to Gay and Lesbian marriage recognition and equality, and the conflict within different states relating to children of Gay and Lesbian couples. This forces challenges to both in their personal and working lives, who meet after a difficult break up from years earlier.
Loved it! In fact loved it so much I went out and bought the sequel immediately and loved that too!

Years ago I read the second book in this series, Benched. I thought it was a fascinating read with amazing characters and a very interesting storyline. I loved the court cases and everything involved with it. I knew the characters had past history but didn’t now the depth of that history until I read this first book in the series.

Barring Complications was a riveting read from start to finish. I enjoyed the background story behind the mains and also their relationship with the secondary characters. Those scenes provided lots of humor as well as heartfelt moments. The court cases were also quite intriguing, relevant, and realistic. I loved all the legal details; it was very well written.

Even though I read this series out of order, I would recommend reading this book first in order to get the full understanding of the mains complicated relationship and how it evolved over time. The ending was just perfect. Overall, this book (and series) was an absolute engaging read and highly recommended.

I had never read anything by this author before but really enjoyed this book. The two main characters had great chemistry and even though it took them awhile to interact the romance featured high in the story. The Supreme Court case was interesting and didn't require a law degree to understand what was happening, although admittedly I did look up a few words.

I liked that the book didn’t take itself too seriously, there was just the right amount of humor thrown in without it turning into a romcom or detracting from the seriousness of the subject. If you're looking for a well done, low-spice legal lesbian romance, I definitely recommend this book.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and all opinions are my own.

This is a great story with of public perception and facing one’s own chance at love.
This is not just about love but the drama within the Supreme Court which makes it all the more an interesting book.

Thank you #NetGalley #BarringComplications for this book.

It's an open secret that the newest justice on the Supreme Court is a lesbian, so when the Court decides to hear a case about gay marriage, Victoria Willougby needs to navigate the press, sway at least one of her conservative colleagues and deal with her own feelings of coming out. Then she finds out that Genevieve Fornier will be lead counsel on the case. Will their hidden past stay hidden? Can they stay away from each other while the Court decides on such a landmark case?

This was heavy on the legalese, but otherwise this was the perfect sapphic legal romance for me. Both Victoria and Genevieve are brilliantly written characters, their past, and their current situation, are just sizzling. The two don't say a word to each other until well into the book, but the writing, the humor, the sizzling hot feelings between the two from the beginning, it's delightful. For such an important and heavy topic, there were some great snort-out-loud moments in this gem!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Great kickoff to legal romance series
I read Barring Complications for the first time when it was published in 2014 but didn't review it. I read and reviewed its sequel Benched when it was published in 2017 but didn't remember anything about Barring Complications when I wrote that review. Now I've reread Barring Complications cold (no synopsis reading beforehand or strong memories) only knowing it had something to do with the US Supreme Court.
As expected, there are politics in the story and scenes taking the reader thru trial preparations for the lawyers and the SCOTUS justices along with the courtroom dramas; if you're a big fan of those types of tv shows you'll love when the story gets into the weeds of the legal system etc. The romance features women over forty, established in their careers, with flashbacks to their first meeting and getting to know each other time in law school; the story shifts between Genevieve's and Victoria's point of view in the past and present day complete with their biases and sometimes false assumptions. The entire story is a rollercoaster for the emotions and has plenty of humor and drama, a cast of secondary characters who are scene stealers and so easy to imagine in real life. Despite the age of the book, many issues addressed in it are still relevant in the present day. Barring Complications and Benched make a great mini series for lovers of legal and political romances and dramas and I recommend them both. If author Blythe Rippon publishes another book in this series or a separate work on another topic in the future I'll happily read it.
If you're interested in the full series, do read the books in order of publication and as close to back to back as possible so details are fresh in mind and you can more fully appreciate the development of the characters and hang out in the world they inhabit for a longer stretch of time. It may not be fully escapist reading but it is entertaining and page turning, often riveting, as good storytelling ought to be.

"Barring Complications" by Blythe Rippon appears to be a compelling and timely legal drama that delves into the intersection of personal identity, professional responsibilities, and the pursuit of justice. This novel introduces readers to Justice Victoria Willoughby, the newest justice on the Supreme Court, who is keeping her lesbian identity a closely guarded secret.

The story takes an intriguing turn when the Court decides to hear a case about gay marriage, thrusting Justice Willoughby into the spotlight and forcing her to confront her own inner conflicts about coming out. This premise immediately sets the stage for a complex and emotionally charged narrative.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the book is the moral and personal dilemma faced by Justice Willoughby. Her journey to navigate the media scrutiny, sway conservative colleagues, and reconcile her own identity with her role as a justice promises to be both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant.

The addition of Genevieve Fornier, an openly gay and brilliant lead counsel on the case, adds another layer of complexity. Her interactions with Justice Willoughby, as they work together on this landmark case, are likely to spark interesting dynamics and emotional tension throughout the story.

Overall, "Barring Complications" seems like a promising exploration of important themes, such as LGBTQ+ rights, the legal system, and personal integrity. It has the potential to be a gripping read for those interested in legal dramas that tackle contemporary social and ethical issues.